Bridge parts, especially floating bodies of an amphibious bridge vehicle

ABSTRACT

An amphibious vehicle has a floatable vehicle body and a plurality of joint devices pivotally connecting the bridge bodies to each other and to the floatable vehicle body. The floatable bodies within the region of the joint devices additionally are interconnected by elbow levers and are operatively connected to power operable pivoting mechanism.

United States Paten Kinzel et a1.

1 1 Sept. 30, 1975 BRIDGE PARTS, ESPECIALLY FLOATING BODIES OF AN AMPHIBIOUS BRIDGE VEHICLE Inventors: Walter Kinzel; Klaus Linek, both of Mainz, Germany Assignce: KloeknerJ-Iumboldt-Deutz Aktiengesellschaft, Cologne, Germany Filed: Apr. 10, 1974 Appl. No: 459,649

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 11, 1973 Germany 2318139 US. Cl. 115/1 B Int. Cl. B63F 3/00 Field of Search 114/1, .5 F, 43.5;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,628,490 12/1971 Gchlen 115/1 B 3,682,126 8/1972 Wagner 115/] B Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Assistant E.\'uminerGrcgory W. OConnor Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Walter Becker [57] ABSTRACT An amphibious vehicle has a floatablc vehicle body and a plurality of joint devices pivotally connecting the bridge bodies to each other and to the floatable vehicle body. The floatable bodies within the region of the joint devices additionally are interconnected by elbow levers and are operativcly connected to power operable pivoting mechanism.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet10f2 3,908,580

P mvE US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,908,580

BRIDGE PARTS, ESPECIALLY FLOATING BODIES OF AN AMPHIBIOUS BRIDGE VEHICLE The present invention relates to bridge parts adapted to be swung out, especially floating bodies of an amphibious bridge vehicle, which by means ofjoints in the upper or lower chord are connected to the adjacent floating body and which have a swinging device for swinging out a floating body relative to the adjacent floating body.

With heretofore known floating bodies which are adapted to be swung out and which are connected to each other by joints in the upper chord, the swinging device consists primarily of two hydraulic cylinders which have one end engaging in common a pivotable coupling element which is connected to the joints of the floating bodies and have their other ends respectively pivotally resting against bridge parts. For purposes of swinging out a floating body, the individual hy- I draulic cylinders are successively actuated by a suitable sequence control so that the floating body to be swung out can be swing out by 180. This heretofore known swinging device requires numerous parts and also a relatively large space. In addition thereto it may be mentioned that the sequence control of the hydraulic cylinder further increases the number of parts and thereby expense of the swinging device and also increases the liability of the overall drive to disorders A further drawback is seen in the fact that the floating bodies when swung out into a flat position can be locked hydraulically only. In view of leakage losses at the hydraulic cylinders of the swinging device, the rigid connection of the floating bodies is frequently lost. There is rather obtained a more or less loose interconnection of the floating bodies which, for instance, with a floating bridge causes undesired oscillations in the driving path and creates a feeling of uncertainty with the crew of the vehicle passing over the bridge.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention with bridge parts of the above mentioned type which are adapted to be swung out, to considerably simplify the swinging device and in particular to reduce the number of the individual parts thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide an arrangement as set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which the floating bodies when swung out and occupying a substantially flat position will be locked relative to each other in such a way that an absolutely rigid connection of the floating bodies is established and maintained over a longer period of time.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a diagrammatic rear view of a bridge vehicle in the water with the floating bodies swung out to the bank ramp while the swinging-out operation of the floating bodies is indicated in dot-dash lines.

FIG. 2 shows in a cutout and top view the joints of two floating bodies with a device according to the invention for swinging out a floating body.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a swinging device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows the swinging out device according to the invention in an intermediate position during the swinging-out operation.

FIG. 5 shows the swinging device in a position it occupies when the floating bodies are in their rest position which they occupy when they are not swung out.

The arrangement according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the floating bodies within the region of the chords located opposite to the joint are additionally interconnected by one or more elbow levers which elbow lever is engaged by the swinging device of the floating body to be swung out.

The device according to the invention for swinging out a floating body relative to the adjacent floating body has the advantage that the swinging device consists of only a single hydraulic or pneumatic lifting cylinder which can be operated without an additional sequence control and in a most simple manner.

A further advantage of the invention consists in that the floating body adapted to be swung out can be hydraulically or pneumatically swung out in a stepless manner, but in its unfolded position is locked by a mechanical locking mechanism in an absolutely rigid manner to the adjacent floating body.

In an advantageous manner, the elbow lever com prises two sections respectively pivotally mounted on one of the floating bodies.

In order to assure that the elbow levers will at both floating bodies not require too large a space, it is expedient that the sections or links of the elbow levers have different lengths while the longer section is mounted on the floating body. A swinging device, advantageously a hydraulic cylinder piston system, is utilized which engages the longer lever section and rests on the floating body.

According to a further development of the invention, it is advantageous that the longer lever section is fixedly connected to a swinging lever which is arranged in offset manner and to which the hydraulic cylinder piston system is connected.

In order to be able to employ the elbow lever as locking means for the swung-out floating bodies, the joints of the elbow lever are located on a common line of action extending in the direction of the floating bodies. In this position of the lever sections, the elbow lever forms a dead center block or barrier, which will assure an absolutely rigid connection of the stretched-out floating bodies.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows an amphibious bridge vehicle 1 which is provided with a vehicle body 2 on which when the vehicle is set for overland driving there are superimposed a plurality of floating bodies 3, 4 and 5. The floating body 3 is, through ajoint 6, connected to the vehicle body 2 while being pivotable about a horizontal axis. The other floating bodies 4 and 5 are respectively through joints 8, 7 connected to each other so as to be pivotable relative to each other. The joints are arranged on the lower chords of the floating bodies 3, 4, 5 and are respectively offset to each other while being located opposite to each other on the lateral ends of the floating bodies. For purposes of pivoting the floating bodies together about the joint 6 there are provided hydraulic cylinders 9 and 10. Both connecting rods of the hydraulic cylinders 9, l0 engage a triangular guiding member 11 which is pivotable about the joint 6 and is connected to the vehicle body 2. The other end of the hydraulic cylinder 9 is arranged on the inner floating body 3, and the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 10 is pivotally mounted on the vehicle body 2.

In order to pivot the floating bodies 4, 5 about the joints 8 and 7, a separate swinging device 12 is provided according to FIGS. 2 5. The swinging device 12 comprises a mechanical and a hydraulic part while the mechanical part is designed as elbow lever 15, and the chords l3, 14 of both floating bodies 3, 5 which chords are located opposite the joint 7, are additionally interconnected. The elbow lever 15 has two sections l6, 17. The section 16 is pivotable about an axle 18 while being arranged on the floating body 3, whereas the section 17 is pivotable about an axle l9 and is arranged on the floating body 5. Both sections l6, 17 are interconnected by the joint 20.

As will be seen from FIG. 4, the lever sections have a different length. The longer section 16 is mounted on the floating body 3 which is not to be pivoted. A pivotable lever 21 is arranged on the section 16. This lever 21 is together with the section 16 rotatably mounted for rotation about the common pivot shaft 18 on the floating body 3. The lever 21 is engaged by the swinging device, especially a hydraulic cylinder 22 which has its other end pivotally resting on the floating body 3. In order to make sure that in straight or stretched-out position of the swung-out floating bodies a rigid mechanical connection is obtained, the joints l8, l9 and of the elbow lever 15 are located on a common line of action 23 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the floating bodies 3, 5.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the specific showing in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within te scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An amphibious vehicle having a floatable vehicle body, which includes: a plurality of floatable bridge bodies, a plurality of joint means pivotally connecting said bridge bodies to each other and to said floatable vehicle body, a plurality of elbow lever means respectively arranged within the region of at least some of said joint means and additionally interconnecting adjacent floatable bridge bodies, and a plurality of power operable pivoting means respectively supported by said floatable bridge means and operatively connected to said elbow lever means for selectively moving the same into a first position to respectively pull adjacent floatable bridge bodies together and securing the same in pulledtogether position or into a second position for separating portions of adjacent floatable bridge bodies to permit folding said floatable bridge bodies about said joints and placing the same in superimposed position upon said floatable vehicle body, each of said elbow lever means including two arms connected to each other by a joint and each pivotally mounted on the respective adjacent floatable bridge body by another joint, one of said floatable bridge bodies being arranged between and linked to two adjacent bridge bodies and being displaceable substantially in parallel, the arms of each of said elbow levers being of different length, the longer one of said arms being journalled in said bridge body, fluid operable cylinder-piston systems respectively operatively connected to said longer ones of said arms for actuating the same, pivotable lever means respectively interconnecting the cylinder-piston systems with the pertaining longer one of the respective pertaining two arms, said pivotal lever means respectively being offset with regard to the pertaining longer one of said arms, the joints of each elbow lever means in effective bridging position of said bridge bodies being located on a common line of action extending in the longitudinal direction of the pertaining floatable bodies. 

1. An amphibious vehicle having a floatable vehicle body, which includes: a plurality of floatable bridge bodies, a plurality of joint means pivotally connecting said bridge bodies to each other and to said floatable vehicle body, a plurality of elbow lever means respectively arranged within the region of at least some of said joint means and additionally interconnecting adjacent floatable bridge bodies, and a plurality of power operable pivoting means respectively supported by said floatable bridge means and operatively connected to said elbow lever means for selectively moving the same into a first position to respectively pull adjacent floatable bridge bodies together and securing the same in pulled-together position or into a second position for separating portions of adjacent floatable bridge bodies to permit folding said floatable bridge bodies about said joints and placing the same in superimposed position upon said floatable vehicle body, each of said elbow lever means including two arms connected to each other by a joint and each pivotally mounted on the respective adjacent floatable bridge body by another joint, one of said floatable bridge bodies being arranged between and linked to two adjacent bridge bodies and being displaceable substantially in parallel, the arms of each of said elbow levers being of different length, the longer one of said arms being journalled in said bridge body, fluid operable cylinder-piston systems respectively operatively connected to said longer ones of said arms for actuating the same, pivotable lever means respectively interconnecting the cylinder-piston systems with the pertaining longer one of the respective pertaining two arms, said pivotal lever means respectively being offset with regard to the pertaining longer one of said arms, the joints of each elbow lever means in effective bridging position of said bridge bodies being located on a common line of action extending in the longitudinal direction of the pertaining floatable bodies. 